l. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an induction heating coil. More particularly, this invention relates to an induction heating coil for a cooking appliance of the induction heating type.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A cooking appliance of the induction heating type is generally of the construction illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. Thus, a commercial power supply is transformed into a high frequency electric current of, say, about 20 KHz by means of an inverter circuit 1 such as a transistor or thyristor and this high frequency electric current is fed to a flat induction heating coil 2. Alternately, without the above-mentioned transformation into a high frequency electric current, the low frequency current is directly fed to the flat induction heating coil. When an electrically conductive cooking utensil 4 is placed on such an induction heating coil 2 through an interposed insulating top plate 3 which may for example be made of ceramic material, the resulting magnetic flux traversing through said electrically conductive utensil 4 generates an electromotive force in the utensil 4, whereby an eddy current is induced. This eddy current and the resistance of the utensil generate a thermal energy, whereby the food contained in the utensil 4 is heated. This direct heating of a cooking utensil by such magnetic flux offers several advantages over other heat sources such as firewood, gas, oil and an electric heater. Thus, induction heating involves only a fraction of heat loss and provided a high heat efficiency without a waste of energy, thus contributing considerably to the conservation of energy. Furthermore, since it does not involve a high-temperature heat source such as a burning firewood, gas or oil or an electric heater, induction heating is a heating means which can be safely handled even by the child and aged person without fear of a burn or fires. The absence of a high-temperature heat source means, also, that cooking with an induction heating appliance does not elevate the temperature of the ambient atmosphere, nor does it require a supply of air for combustion. The above things mean that the atmosphere in the room is not spoiled by cooking.
Thus, a cooking apparatus of the induction heating type offers a number of advantages over the conventional cooking devices. However, the prior art cooking appliance of induction heating type employs a flat circular coil of conductor metal. The solid metal conductor is an inexpensive material but since it is subject to a high frequency skin effect, a coil wound at a close pitch entails a large energy loss and, hence, provides only a low heat efficiency. To avoid such loss of energy, the coil must be wound with a gap between turns but in order to provide a given energy output, such a loose coil must have an increased outside diameter as compared with a coil wound at a close pitch, thus detracting from the compactness of the heating unit. A loosely wound coil has the additional disadvantage of low output per unit area.
To obviate the above-mentioned disadvantages of a solid metal conductor, it has been proposed to fabricate an induction heating coil from the so-called litz wire which is actually a plurality of fine-gage metal wires twisted together. The litz wire is characterized in that it entails only a small energy loss even when wound with a close pitch and makes for the manufacture of a small induction coil, thus contributing to a reduced size of the heating unit. Moreover, since this coil material does not present any problem even when wound at a loose pitch, one is almost at liberty to select any suitable coil size.
However, if such a litz wire is wound at a fixed pitch, i.e. with equal gaps between turns, there occurs the problem that the magnetic flux density is high in an inner area of the coil and low in the outer or peripheral area, with the result that the heating unit presents an uneven temperature profile such that a relatively high temperature prevails in said inner area and a relatively low temperature is available in the peripheral area. Since the foregoing means that the central area of the bottom of a cooking utensil is heated to a higher temperature than is the peripheral area of the bottom, the coil wound at a fixed pitch has the drawback that, in baking a cake in a pan, for example, only the central area of the cake is done well.
FIG. 3 shows a typical temperature distribution for the prior art induction heating coil of litz wire as wound at a uniform pitch. It will be seen that the temperature is lower at the inner turns of the coil, with the highest temperature occuring at Ro which is displaced a short distance from the inside diameter r.sub.1 of the coil toward its outside diameter. This is because the magnetic flux density is highest in the neighborhood of Ro and this condition entails an increased high frequency loss of the coil 2, an increased temperature buildup in the coil itself and, hence, a waste of energy.